Elai Kozhukattai is traditional kozhukattai recipe that you can make for Ganesh Chaturthi.I wanted to post this last year itself but somehow it got missed, so the first kozhukattai I planned to post for this Ganesh Chaturthi is this Elai Kozhukattai.It is more like our pooranam kozhukattai / modakam but the method of making is slightly different, banana leaf gives a unique flavour to this kozhukattai.
Elai Kozhukattai Recipe
Preparation Time:15 mins | Cooking Time : 30 mins | Makes:10
Recipe Category: Sweet | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Recipe Category: Sweet | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Rice Flour(Idiyappam Flour) – 3/4 cup
Water – as needed
Ghee – 2 tsp
Oil – to grease
Salt – to taste
For the stuffing(pooranam):
Moong Dal – 1/2 cup
Powdered Jaggery – 3/4 cup, Water – 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder – a generous pinch
Method:
- Soak jaggery in warm water(till immersing level) , crush it well. Then heat it up until it is slightly thick (no string consistency needs to be checked).Strain and keep aside.(I made more than above mentioned quantity for storing purpose).
- In a mixing bowl add rice flour, salt and mix well.Boil water and add it little by little.
- Mix with a laddle, once it forms together and is a bit warm to handle then use your hands to knead it a soft dough.Do all this off the stove.
- Dry roast moong dal in low flame till golden.Then add water and let it cook until soft and mushy.
- Mash it well with a masher.Then add jaggery syrup and let it boil.
- It will splutter so be at a safe distance.Let it cook until the stuffing becomes thick, you should be able to form a ball thats the correct consistency.Add ghee, Switch off and set aside.
- First cut small squares of banana leaf and keep it ready.Grease each banana leaf with little oil.Pinch a lemon size ball from the dough, place it on a banana leaf and flatten it to a thin disc.On the right half of the disc, add a heaped spoon of stuffing and spread it.
- Seal it along with banana leaf so that it forms a semi circle.Press the edges so that its sealed completely.Repeat the process until the entire dough and stuffing gets over.
- Carefully pile up all the banana leaves in a steamer and steam it for atleast 10-12mins or until the kozhukattais are shiny.I had little leftover outer dough so made them as mini kozhakkattais and steamed it along with elai kozhakattai.
Serve hot / warm!
My Notes:
- Make a thick jaggery syrup so that it thickens faster after adding it to dal.
- Asjust sweetness according to your preference.Usually when you taste the stuffing, it should be slightly oversweet only then it will be perfect when its stuffed.
- You can replace moong dal with chana dal too.
- The stuffing is upto your choice, you can even use coconut jaggery stuffing.
- I don’t know any alternates for banana leaf as its the main thing which gives unique flavour to this kozhukattai.
- I used store bought rice flour, brand name is Nirapara
Superb recipe Sharmi. I want to learn this for a long time, I tasted this in Kerala trip as Elai Ada, they made for breakfast, the steaming smell of banana leaves really so good and healthy too. Your photos are outstanding… the texture and the lines on the boiled kozhukattai shown such a feel, as if we are standing next you in the kitchen and watching your cooking. The way you explained step by step is really useful. I will make it soon and tell you the result ( for Banana leaves we need to go little faraway market, so only on weekend…waiting…_) Really a traditional, healthy recipe. Thank you Sharmi.
I tried the same with a savoury version. Saw in a TV show. Tempting clicks
Use Turmeric leaf it taste very good n nice flavor
Excellent presentation. Hats off to your involvement in blogging. Excellent props,Pictures.unga blog ku appo appo thristi suthi podunga.
Instead of banana leaf, you can use turmeric leaf..? it gives nice aroma and taste? yum yum… ?
I tried it on Ganesha festival ,it's superb